According to Edmund Coletta Jr., the Director of Public Affairs at MassDEP, on December 3, 2015, the Orange Fire Department notified MassDEP that a spill took place at a gasoline station facility parking lot at 25 East Main Street.

MassDEP reviewed video security footage and determined that the spill happened because of the bed of a pickup truck driven by Tracy Gleason of Spanky’s Tree Service, Coletta said. “The video footage also indicated that Mr. Gleason was aware of the spill.”

Coletta said Gleason did not notify the Town of Orange’s public safety agencies or MassDEP of the spill, which is required under Massachusetts regulations. MassDEP must be notified as soon as possible, and no greater than two hours after a fuel spill is noticed.

MassDEP attempted to contact Gleason to resolve the violation through a “negotiated settlement,” but was unsuccessful. “Mr. Gleason did not provide notification to the appropriate agencies, including MassDEP, and left the scene of the spill,” said Michael Gorski, director of MassDEP’s Western Regional Office in Springfield. “Furthermore, he failed to respond to numerous attempts to resolve this matter, resulting in the issuance of this penalty.”